The front seat was empty again. Just yesterday, a student had been there, their hand shooting up eagerly to answer questions, their laughter blending in with the chatter of their classmates that they have built relations. Today, the students’ desks sat untouched, their names still written on the board for an upcoming presentation they would never give. The whispers started before the morning bell. Their parents were taken last night; they had to leave too. At schools, deportations are not just political headlines. They are personal tragedies that teachers watch as students vanish overnight; their absence is a painful reminder of families torn apart. Friends struggle to understand why their classmates are suddenly gone, while educators try to provide stability in a world that is in constant uncertainty.
There is an unseen impact of deportations on schools, or just the present fear is enough to deceive our minds. Teachers, counselors, and students grapple with the weight of a system that turns childhood innocence into collateral damage from the recent deportation movements. As well leaving an uncertainty over immigrants’ futures that has led communities to question, whether workers should continue to show up to work or go out to get groceries. As well as whether there will be economic disruptions and school funding consequences as a result.
Here at Arcata High, we are very fortunate to have a staff that supports every single individual student through the challenges that they face. AHS also can provide resources to students. Individuals agree that we have a broken immigration system, but people disagree on the solutions, creating a rocking boat of dissent in society. One of the tools the Trump administration plans to use is an expansion of the “expedited removal” program, combined with raids in neighborhoods and workplaces. deportations that are allowed to bypass immigration courts, where a judge would normally decide the merit of allowing someone to stay in the country. In previous cases, immigrants without legal status and who do not make an asylum claim can be placed in this process if they’re arrested within 14 days of entering the country, and within 100 miles of the border. That already existed in most of California, but the new order expands the process to the entire country.
Using expedited removal, an immigration officer may quickly deport individuals without due process if the government establishes that they entered the United States without immigration documents and have been in the country for less than two years. People deported under expedited removal may be detained and deported without appearing before an immigration judge. The severe role you can play for yourself is being aware of resources that are present. Or even remembering certain minorly major things like, memorizing an emergency contact phone number, being skeptical of media posts, and not signing anything without understanding what it’s for, or without getting a copy of it as this will help avoid immigration fraud. A well-respected staff member at Arcata High School believes that educating yourself on these assets is important, Anayeli Auza, a Spanish teacher at Arcata High. She promotes the outlets that immigrants or even families of immigrants can turn to through this challenging time.
“Personally I am the daughter of immigrants and am an immigrant myself, so immigration has always been a topic of conversation in my family,” Auza said. Diving into the safety she’s always followed due to ICE’s presence. “It’s always been important to me and my siblings to be careful of your surroundings and do everything in your power not to call attention to yourself,” Auza explained that impacts from a social issue can affect the community in unfathomable ways we don’t always acknowledge. She is a part of an organization, Central Del Pueblo, that has an outreach program called “Red de Respuesta Rápida” with the goal in mind of community members being ready at all times for any crisis in the area, such as detention or ICE activity.
If you desire you may receive, through Auza as a direct source, an accessible list of individual rights on a “red card.”. These rights are extremely vital to recognize for any type of detainment. President Trump has broadcast plans for “mass deportations”, and the opening weeks of his second term have increased immigration enforcement operations in cities all across the USA, causing fear to grip ethical, undocumented workers.
With the government-mandated expulsion within the school community, it has created an atmosphere of uncertainty as it’s more important than ever to advocate for policies that protect students and provide resources for those in need. Through executing action, we can as schools remain safe havens for all students, regardless of their immigration status. Speaking on an individual level, everyone can play their part by knowing their rights. Every person in the United States has rights regardless of their immigration status.